as in pushing
to force one's way
the sort of greedy person who is always the first to elbow to the front of the buffet table at every party
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elbowing
Jones abused the boys on their bus rides for about six months, between September 2023 and March 2024, before authorities discovered surveillance video that showed the woman elbowing, stomping and punching the students.
—
Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
The Athletic reported that footage appeared to show a Trearddur Bay player elbowing a Porthmadog FC player in the head during a break in play.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Bergman also levied a 15-yard penalty against the Bills' Pat Toomay for elbowing him after the play.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
But Mackay doesn’t envision El Gaucho elbowing its way into the city.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
Protecting value, however, has expanded to those seeking to transfer in the coming weeks, elbowing more players to sit out.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 2025
So, does this mean Goldman’s now going to be competing with the Sand Hill Road set, elbowing into more hot funding rounds?
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
In regards to Smashing Machine‘s misfire, some are elbowing A24 and its means of marketing.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Immediately after the Sharks killed his elbowing penalty, Barclay Goodrow came out of the box, retrieved a puck that had been cleared out of the San Jose zone, and found Cardwell, whose backhand shot from in close went off the post before Schmid covered the puck.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
The Athletic reported that footage appeared to show a Trearddur Bay player elbowing a Porthmadog FC player in the head during a break in play.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
Bergman also levied a 15-yard penalty against the Bills' Pat Toomay for elbowing him after the play.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
But Mackay doesn’t envision El Gaucho elbowing its way into the city.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
Protecting value, however, has expanded to those seeking to transfer in the coming weeks, elbowing more players to sit out.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 2025
So, does this mean Goldman’s now going to be competing with the Sand Hill Road set, elbowing into more hot funding rounds?
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
In regards to Smashing Machine‘s misfire, some are elbowing A24 and its means of marketing.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Immediately after the Sharks killed his elbowing penalty, Barclay Goodrow came out of the box, retrieved a puck that had been cleared out of the San Jose zone, and found Cardwell, whose backhand shot from in close went off the post before Schmid covered the puck.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elbowing
Verb
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In early 2026, the car brands leading in advanced AI are primarily split between those pushing the boundaries of full autonomous driving like Tesla, and those integrating sophisticated, safe and intuitive AI into the user experience like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The solar sector has been grappling with a prolonged price slump and oversupply, squeezing margins even as leading producers continue to add capacity.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
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For generations, Americans who wanted orange juice without the work of squeezing fresh fruit cracked open a can and watched a cylinder of frozen juice go ker-plunk into a pitcher.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elbowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elbowing. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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